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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep.
Camille "Bud" George |
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Rep. George: Clock starts on 141-day budget quest
HARRISBURG, Feb. 9 – State Rep. Camille "Bud" George, D-74 of Clearfield County, today said Pennsylvanians deserve a budget before July 1, and Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s proposed 2010-11 spending plan starts the clock on the process.
"Last year’s 101-day-late budget debacle must not be repeated," Rep. George said. "The governor’s proposal is responsible yet imperfect. No budget proposal ever is approved without changes, and neither will this one."
Rep. George said the governor’s $26.3 billion proposal, featuring no increases in broad-based taxes, fairly and bluntly lays out the challenges facing Pennsylvania in the coming years, including:
● A $525 million revenue shortfall;
● The loss of $2.3 billion in federal stimulus funds beginning July 1, 2011;
● A potential $5.6 billion spike in pension contributions;
● A national economy still in turmoil.
"I disagree that the plan is a ‘status quo’ budget," Rep. George said. "Gov. Rendell’s proposal looks not only at the challenges immediately confronting us but also at those that will hammer us if those who refuse to look past self preservation and partisan boilerplate have their way."
Rep. George said he expects robust discussion of the governor’s proposals, including:
● Reducing Pennsylvania’s 6 percent sales tax to 4 percent by eliminating 74 exemptions;
● Instituting a severance tax on gas drillers in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale deposit;
● Reforming business taxes, including eliminating the Delaware Loophole;
● Reducing the Corporate Net Income Tax to 8.99 percent from 9.99 percent;
● Taxing cigars and smokeless tobacco;
● Using the revenues to address the loss of federal funding and the pension contribution spike.
"I salute the governor’s call for an extraction tax on gas drillers in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale deposit," said Rep. George, head of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
"Our local communities and governments now are paying an unfair share of the drilling costs, including the damage to roads and bridges," Rep. George said. "If someone isn’t paying their fair share, then it means someone is paying more than their fair share."
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CONTACT: Matthew Maciorkoski |